Jeff Wolfe is a former news reporter at the Delaware County Daily Times. He is a long-time auto racing and NASCAR enthusiast and enjoys sharing his opinions on the various issues that arise in the sport.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won't drive next two races due to concussion

The big news in NASCAR this morning is that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will miss the next two races, at Charlotte Saturday night, and then at Kansas next Sunday, due to a concussion. Hendrick Motorsports said that Earnhardt Jr., the sport's most popular driver, was disagnosed Wednesday afternoon. He sustained the concussion in the 25-car pileup on the final lap of last Sunday's race at Talladega.

Regan Smith will replace Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Chevrolet in the next two events.

Earnhardt Jr. is one of the 12 drivers in NASCAR's Chase for the Championship and sits 11th in the standings, 51 behind points leader Brad Keselowski, a gap that would have been difficult for him to make up in the final six races of the Chase.

Smith was scheduled to drive the No. 51 car this weekend, that will now be filled by the recently reinstated AJ Allmendinger, who lost his ride at Penske Racing earlier this season for violating the sport's substance abuse policy. He was reinstated to the sport last month after completing NASCAR's Road to Recovery program.